New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-17
Nrw.YoRKS ART TREASURES
ARApIpLY GROWING INSTITUTION.


A IN. Metropolitan Museum Of Art. The building
has beeu closed to visitors 1t is true for that semi
anrnaI oyerhauling md rearrsnEement OF its loans
ana collections which will show its fruits month
later IN fresher and more varied exhibition than
svsr But there are many evidences of the BOOM
even through the quiet Sunday look of things
about the Museum. The walls of tue fine new
gallery to the south of the present building are still
rising the plans for exhibiting all the splendid
fts that have been pouring in upon the Institution
are being finished; the halls. the galleries. the
storerooms arc packed with rare and costly art
objects for which, even with the new building it
10 still question of ending ROOM Never has the
Art Museum been so famous or SO popular.
There are few who do not know.how the building
looks from the outside, toll, rather narrow. two
storied structure, with roof like huge studios.
fronting up the slope from Fifhave. at the Eighty
sscond-st. entrance, across the smooth driveway
toward the thick wall of the big reservoir. The
vrincpal entrance is on the Park sides to it half
dozen syone,steps lead up. Through the big glass
doors one gets broad, full Wow of the great main
hall and the galleries above Just inside are four
wooden wickets for registering the number OF
visitors entering and passing out. To the left OF
the gates il the cane and umbrella counter, no ono
being allowed to get any further with anything In
the shape of a stick.o pointer. Even blunt-headed
parasols are taken from visitors. There is no
charge for ths.check. fortunately. Across at the
catalogue counter ono is in harder luck Ihere arc
more than q dozen books of the collections for
sale here some bound. some In pamphlet form,
some with illustrations even and to buy the lot
vould bankrupt tho average curiosity-hunter.
Most visitors get the ten cent catalogue OF the
modern paintings and leave the rest to- the imagine
tion.
HOW THE BUILDING IS LAID OUT.
From the middle of tho big hall .one can catch at
= xlanoe the general outline of the Museum. There
A. clear space overhead up to the skylight OF the
roof Half way up there IL quadranguar gallery
running the whole way round. and opening at the
east and west ends on the rooms of the second floor
Tho open space ID. perhaps. forty or fifty feet
long and tw enty wide The rest of the grand hall
ia from fifteen to twenty feet high, with pillars
scattered here and there. reaching up in graceful
lines to the light polished ceiling Upstairs and
opening upon thegallery that runs round the court
are the picture galleries. those on the east for the
Old Masters and those on the west for the modern
paintings. Behind the eastern galleries are the
offices of the directors.
\ The grand hail on the first floor Is filled with
statuary and the famous Cesnoa Cypriote collec-
lions The statues are grouped near the entrance.
The Cyprus collections, antique pottery, images
and the rest. spread away on both sides into the
the first thing about archaeology and ceramics. he
can still find something amusing and instructive
about the old Jars and cracked statues, the relies
Of an art earlier than that of the Greeks. whic the
Ss eataoaue !" hard and intricate and one is like
" to inish the survey with blurred image OF
Egyptian mummy heads and graceful Greek vases;
Up near the skyllghts lust above the east end OF
the central open gallery, are two big pieces OF
tapestry and fresh, bright colors: Joseph betIoth
ting himself to Mary in the Temple, before the High
Pricst and his gorgeous attendants and Solomon's
trumpets blowing, in the midst Of still greater pomp
and splendor, in honor Of the approaching Queen
the Museum and may be taken away before the
summer exhibition opens They are about 100
ed . ea. and strong cog snG Ts ss
The sightseers who are bent on getting through
1hey buy their catalogues to tho modern paintings
u the western galleries upstairs ard rush TO see
them without delay: i is much more sensible 70
climb up to the eastern galleries where the coliec-
dcn of Old Masters 10 hanging
WHERE OLD MASTERS HANG IN SOLEMN QUIET.
The Old Masters arc chiefly of an extremely Dutch
favor, and the subjects are highly religious. SO
even On free days there is plenty of room the soft
leather covered benches where one can lounge and
enjoy the bloodcurdling deaths of martyrs and the
like with much BODILY comfort. Or if one gets tired
Of ablebodied martyrs, there Is no end OF pale
annotated, haggard saints, with an occasional fat
and Jolly Dutch burgomaster, painted In more
everyday MOOD. Then there sre pictorial repre-
sensations of religious legends, like that OF ST.
George and the Dragon St George ID evidently
pouring cold water on the Dragon--or classical
sss rescue Of HrioD from the about
the same, whatever the SUBJECT. II one does not
Were DOING the gallery last Wednesday seemed
70 think 80 ut least They smiled and nodded on
hs religions and prOane alike and sssl
tion as if they were eating Bologna oausages They
did. in fact, pull ont small sausage snd roll
back of the settee while the custodan's eyes were
was little girl ali alone apparently. stretched out
Il Is stiIl and quiet here and few people to
csre to look ct tho old Dutch painters. Their
anu snS q NAV be that some sghtseers think
them relics from Cyprus
There is another lot Of these latter In the open
court to the modern paintings at the western end.
Tho frail glass work in he cases against the walls
eurousy pretty and .asGss III snS
Chinese ware, all those special and costly objects
on.y notably Of MIR. Marquand-has become so rich.
These too for their Names and values, one
leave largely to the Imagination.
MODERN PAINTINGS DRAW THE LARGEST CROWDS
The western galleries. where the modern paint
ings hang are the only crowded spot In tho whole
Museum. The comfortable setteos are lined wit b
mon and women hard at work with their catalogues
on tho newest collections. One sees every where
the critical smile, ths contemplatye air OF the art
amateur, the nonchalance aud ease Of the picture
hunter The gallery walls ore crowded with good
paintings however, and one need only glance over
the uames-Vibert. Breton, Millet Boughton,
Meyer Won Bremen, Bonnat Schreyer, Dannat and
the rest-to feel sure that the collection IL well
worth hslf-hour or two on the soft benches
The paintings in the first gallery are owned by
the Museum. The big canvas by Brozik, Chris
topher Columbus at the Court Of Ferdinand the
Catholic and isabella Of Castillo" a present from
Morris X. Jesup. fills one end of the room
Hellquist's "Peder Sonnavater ana Master HUNTS